Chikungunya toll rises to 15; Northern railways on a disease terminating mission!

This season, 13 deaths have been reported till yesterday, including five each at Apollo Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), while one death each at AIIMS and Hindu Rao Hospital.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Chikungunya and dengue have a strong hold over the national capital and the number of fatalities due to complications from chikungunya have risen to 15, with the vector-borne disease claiming two more lives on Saturday.

“Two elderly persons, both aged above 70 and belonging to Delhi, died on September 15 of chikungunya complications at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH). One of them suffered from hypertension while the other had kidney problems,” a hospital source said.

The Centre today sought a detailed report from the Delhi government on deaths due to it and dengue, including the medical history of the deceased.

On September 12, a Lajpat Nagar resident Gulab Chand Gupta (70) died due to the virus, a family member said. "He was admitted at Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI) in south Delhi on September 7 and succumbed to chikungunya complications five days later.

His medical report says he died of acute febrile illness with septic shock and multi-organ failure," his son-in-law Santosh Mangal said.

This season, 12 deaths have been reported till yesterday, including five each at Apollo Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), while one death each at AIIMS and Hindu Rao Hospital.

Together, chikungunya and dengue have claimed at least 31 lives and affected nearly 3,000 people in Delhi. 18 people have died of dengue which has affected over 1,100 people in the city. "We have asked for a detailed report on the deaths due to the vector-borne diseases in the city.

One of the latest actions being taken against the mosquito-borne diseases is a joint collaboration between Delhi's civic bodies and Northern Railways, through which, a 'terminator' train mounted with spraying machines to target insects will now be pressed into action in Delhi to combat the diseases.

As per a report in DNA, this move will spring into action from September 23rd and continue for two months, with an interval of two weeks.

Furthermore, as per the plan, an insecticide spraying machine will be mounted on the last wagon of the special train, which will then make its rounds through the NCR. The sprayers can sanitise up to a distance of 50-60 meters from the tracks, DNA reported.

(With PTI inputs)